A
crossing, in
ecclesiastical architecture, is the junction of the four arms of a
cruciform (cross-shaped) church.
In a typically oriented church (especially of
Romanesque and
Gothic styles), the crossing gives access to the
nave on the west, the
transept arms on the north and south, and the
choir on the east.
The crossing is sometimes surmounted by a
tower or
dome. Because the crossing is open on four sides, the weight of the tower or dome rests heavily on the corners; a stable construction thus required great skill on the part of the builders. In centuries past, it was not uncommon for overly ambitious crossing towers to collapse.
A tower may be called a
lantern tower if it has openings through which light from outside can shine down to the crossing.
Church architecture or ecclesiastical architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of Christian churches. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by imitating other architectural styles as well as
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Cruciform means having the shape of a cross.
It is a common description of Christian churches, which are usually, though not exclusively, built with a layout comprising:
..... Click the link for more information. Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Europe which emerged in the late 10th century and evolved into the Gothic style during the 12th century. The Romanesque style in England is more traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.
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Gothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished in Europe during the high and late medieval period. It was preceded by Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.
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nave is the central approach to the high altar. "Nave" ( Medieval Latin navis, "ship,") was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting. The nave of a church, whether Romanesque, Gothic or Classical, extends from the entry — which may have a separate
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transept is the area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture. The transept separates the nave from the sanctuary, whether apse, choir, chevet, presbytery or chancel.
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choir (sometimes referred to as the quire) is the area of a church or cathedral, usually in the western part of the chancel between the nave and sanctuary which houses the altar. The choir is occasionally located in the eastern part of the nave.
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tower blocks. In the United States, the now-destroyed World Trade Center had the nickname the Twin Towers, a name shared with the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
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dome is a common structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere.
Description
Domes do not have to be perfectly spherical in cross-section, however; a section through a dome may be an ellipse.
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